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emily_mh's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The best BEST part of this book for me was the disability rep. I felt SO SEEN. I don't have dyspraxia like Ramya does, but I could relate to SO MANY things Ramya described going through. My favourite quote was:
"I became a measuring stick for people's characters. For their patience, their compassion, their empathy. You get tired of it after a while."
I also liked the simple sentence "I am resilience." Because we are resilience itself, not just acting with resilience. McNicoll absolutely nailed this rep at every turn. I also thought it was fantastic that dyspraxia was represented in an MC, as I have never seen this done before and it is so important to get that rep out there.
Speaking of MCs, Ramya is a great one! She's a fierce advocate for herself, because no-one else in her life is. Her moral compass is so strong. She gives so much love, even though she thinks she doesn't, even though she doesn't get a lot of it in return. I loved learning about the magical underworld of Edinburgh alongside her; all the magical creatures, what they looked like, and where they lived and worked.
I also loved how this story showed the power of community, how it can both prevent disaster and also guide you through one. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this theme goes in the sequel. Another great theme was about choice. The book really drove home personal accountability; that you choose what to do with the power given to you, you choose what to do in response to how you are treated, you choose the role you are going to play. There is no shifting the blame.
The only things I struggled with were that the side characters could feel a little one-dimensional, and the plot was a little wandering at times. Aside from that, this was a fantastic, enjoyable read!
"I became a measuring stick for people's characters. For their patience, their compassion, their empathy. You get tired of it after a while."
I also liked the simple sentence "I am resilience." Because we are resilience itself, not just acting with resilience. McNicoll absolutely nailed this rep at every turn. I also thought it was fantastic that dyspraxia was represented in an MC, as I have never seen this done before and it is so important to get that rep out there.
Speaking of MCs, Ramya is a great one! She's a fierce advocate for herself, because no-one else in her life is. Her moral compass is so strong. She gives so much love, even though she thinks she doesn't, even though she doesn't get a lot of it in return. I loved learning about the magical underworld of Edinburgh alongside her; all the magical creatures, what they looked like, and where they lived and worked.
I also loved how this story showed the power of community, how it can both prevent disaster and also guide you through one. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this theme goes in the sequel. Another great theme was about choice. The book really drove home personal accountability; that you choose what to do with the power given to you, you choose what to do in response to how you are treated, you choose the role you are going to play. There is no shifting the blame.
The only things I struggled with were that the side characters could feel a little one-dimensional, and the plot was a little wandering at times. Aside from that, this was a fantastic, enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Vomit, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Blood, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Confinement, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: loss of a loved one, mind control Minor: drowning, sick loved one
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